Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information was provided to the Prime Minister on the public finances prior to taking office; whether he has received any additional information since taking office; and what his policy is on the provision of information to prospective future governments prior to elections.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The process for access talks is set out in the Cabinet Manual. Access talks are initiated with permission from the Prime Minister of the day and are confidential.
It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place between Cabinet ministers and officials is not shared publicly.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information was provided to her on the public finances prior to taking office; whether she has received any additional information since taking office; and what her policy is on the provision of information to prospective future governments prior to elections.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The process for access talks is set out in the Cabinet Manual. Access talks are initiated with permission from the Prime Minister of the day and are confidential.
It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place between Cabinet ministers and officials is not shared publicly.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to repeal the Pensions Increase (Pension Scheme for Keir Starmer QC) Regulations 2013.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The 2013 regulations were introduced to ensure the Director of Public Prosecutions’ pension scheme is uprated in line with other public service pension schemes. There are no plans to repeal the regulations.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to ensure the availability of free access to cash.
Answered by Tulip Siddiq - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to protecting access to cash for individuals and businesses. The Financial Conduct Authority is the regulator responsible for access to cash further to the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023, with powers to seek to ensure the reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities for individuals and businesses, including free withdrawal services for individuals. The FCA has recently published its final rules setting out its regulatory approach to protecting access to cash. These can be found here: https://www.fca.org.uk/publication/policy/ps24-8.pdf
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of differential duty for draught beer on (a) pubs and (b) clubs.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Under the new alcohol duty system, Draught Relief provides a 9.2% duty reduction on draught beer and cider products below 8.5% alcohol by volume.
The Government is closely monitoring the impact of the recent reforms, including Draught Relief, that took effect on 1 August 2023. It is essential for this evaluation process to allow sufficient time to understand the impacts on the alcohol market, and for HMRC to gather useful and accurate data with which to assess the effects of the reform.
As with all taxes, the Government keeps the alcohol duty system under review during its yearly Budget process.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the annual deficit was (a) in percentage of GDP, (b) in 2010 real terms and (c) as a proportion of government spending in the financial year (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2023-24.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The annual deficit in 2009-2010 was 10.3% of GDP and 4.5% of GDP in 2023-24.
The Office of National Statistics (ONS) does not publish the annual deficit in real terms. In order to remove the effects of inflation and provide an indication of a country’s ability to service borrowing and debt, it is typical to compare fiscal aggregates as a percentage of GDP, which represents the scale of the aggregate in comparison to the size of the economy at the relevant time.
In nominal terms, the annual deficit was £160.9bn in 2009-2010 and £122.1bn in 2023-24.
As a proportion of government spending, the annual deficit was 22.2% in 2009-2010 and 10.0% in 2023-24.
More information is available on the ONS’ website under “Public sector finances, UK Statistical bulletins”.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what compulsory retirement ages exist in the public sector; what changes have been made to compulsory retirement ages in the public sector in the last ten years; and whether the Government plans to (a) introduce and (b) change mandatory retirement ages in the public sector.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The judiciary have a compulsory retirement age of 75, which was increased from age 70 by the Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Act 2022.
For the Armed Forces, each service has responsibility for setting retirement ages but in all cases, there is discretion to extend service beyond this age.
There are no compulsory retirement ages in the NHS, Teachers, Police, Fire, Local Government or Civil Service public service workforces.
The Police previously had a compulsory retirement age of 60 for constables, sergeants and inspectors, and a compulsory retirement age of 65 for higher ranks, although officers could serve beyond these ages with agreement. The Police Pension Scheme Regulations 2015 (SI 2015, No.445) introduced new pension arrangements from 1 April 2015 that no longer provide compulsory retirement ages.
The government has no plans to introduce or change mandatory retirement ages for the public service workforces.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of trends in the level of interest rates on people who are mortgage prisoners.
Answered by John Glen - Shadow Paymaster General
Ministers and officials meet regularly with industry, trade bodies, and regulators to understand their policies and the impact of the increased cost of living on all mortgage borrowers. I am also in regular contact with mortgage prisoner campaigners about their concerns.
The Treasury continues to work with industry to determine if there are any further solutions which would meaningfully benefit mortgage prisoners and are fair to other borrowers in the wider mortgage market, including those who are also paying variable rates.
The Government continues its efforts to support mortgage borrowers by offering Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans to homeowners in receipt of an income-related benefit to help prevent repossession. Recently, the Prime Minister announced a package of homeownership measures, including changes to SMI Loans. When introduced, these changes will provide support more quickly to homeowners by reducing the qualifying period for SMI loans and remove the ‘zero earnings rule’. There is also protection in place in the courts under the Mortgage Pre-Action Protocol which stipulates that repossession should always be a last resort for lenders.
On the cost of living more broadly, the Government has introduced over £15bn of additional support, targeted particularly at those with the greatest need. This package builds on the over £22bn announced previously, with government support for the cost of living now totalling over £37bn this year. Millions of the most vulnerable households will receive at least £1,200 of one-off support in total this year to help with the cost of living.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the withdrawal cost on Lifetime ISAs to 20 per cent in response to cost of living increases.
Answered by John Glen - Shadow Paymaster General
The Lifetime ISA (LISA) was designed as a long-term savings product to encourage people to save for either a first home or for later life by providing a generous 25% government bonus on up to £4,000 of contributions each year. Money held in a LISA, including the government bonus, can be withdrawn from the age of 60 or at an earlier stage if used as a deposit for the account holder’s first home worth up to a maximum of £450,000. All other withdrawals are subject to a 25% government charge made to reflect the account’s specific intention.
The Government has no current plans to reduce the LISA withdrawal charge to 20%. This would mean that the LISA would provide greater benefits than a current account or traditional savings account and undermine its positioning as a long-term savings vehicle. There are a range of other savings products allowing for immediate access of savings, including cash ISAs.
The government keeps all aspects of savings tax policy under review in the context of future fiscal events.
However, to support millions of households across the UK who are struggling to make their incomes stretch to cover the rising cost of living, the government is providing over £15bn of additional support, targeted particularly on those with the greatest need. This package builds on the over £22bn announced previously, with government support for the cost of living now totalling over £37bn this year.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the evidential basis is for his fiscal policy on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cars; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing that policy in order to incentivise the use of LPG cars.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
The government uses the tax system to encourage the purchase of cars with low carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Vehicles powered by Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) benefit from a reduced rate of fuel duty in comparison to the main road fuel rate. Budget 2018 extended the current duty differential until 2032, subject to review in 2024.
The temporary fuel duty cut announced at Spring Statement 2022 reduced rates for LPG proportionately to the 5p reduction for petrol and diesel to maintain the relative differential.
From 1 March 2001, cars powered by LPG, including those converted following first registration, receive a £10 discount on their annual VED payment.